About Us
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Church History
In 1940 a group of saints began meeting for prayer at 1167 Simpson Road, NW in Atlanta at the home of Deacon Hubert A. Willis, Sr. (1892-1970) and Mother Laura Willis (1893-1971). Mother Hattie Helen Burton (1888-1964), the first church mother was among them. On July 2, 1940 the saints made a down payment for a church building at 591 Jones Avenue, NW. Atlanta, Ga.
Several pastors gave leadership to the church for the first four years.
Bishop Riley F. Williams appointed Elder Henry H. Ingram to the church following the 1944 state convocation. The church was renovated and the sanctuary enlarged under Elder Ingram’s leadership. The new sanctuary was dedicated on the first Sunday in July 1945.
Elder Ingram recommended to the saints that they request Bishop Williams to appoint Elder George Briley (1913-1975) to pastor the Jones Avenue Church. On September 6, 1946 Elder Briley was appointed as the new pastor of the Jones Avenue Church of God in Christ, thus merging his congregation at Westside Mission that he had led for 17 years, forming one church and one congregation.
The merger revealed that the roots of the Jones Avenue Church reached back to the beginning of the Pentecostal-Holiness movement of the early Twentieth Century. The Westside Mission that was led by Elder Briley since he was sixteen years old was the same church that he was raised in as a boy. Therefore, Elder (later Bishop) Briley consistently served one congregation as pastor for more than 46 years!
In 1955 the Fellowship Hall was built on the land adjacent to the church property. The land was purchased in 1948 by Deacon O. T. Bell Sr. (1892 – 1983) and donated. The Fellowship Hall was constructed by Deacon Curtis Trice and consisted of a dining room, classrooms and an office for the pastor.
The church began broadcasting on WAOK 1380 AM every Sunday evening at 8. Eventually outgrowing the 591 Jones Avenue location. In 1971 the Lord led Elder Briley to 1137 Avon Avenue, SW, Atlanta, GA. In August 1972, the Jones Avenue Church family dedicated its new home at 1137 Avon Avenue, SW as their new church home.
On Sunday June 18, 1978 the name of the church was changed to Cathedral of Faith. The church continued to grow and expand its outreach via radio, not only in Atlanta, but around the world, reaching Africa, the Caribbean, Western Europe and Asia. The church also began supporting mission work and missionaries in Haiti, Kenya and other nations in Africa and Australia. At the same time the church reached out to the Atlanta community with a food pantry, men’s shelter, prison ministry, nursing home ministry and a substance abuse ministry. The church grew to more than 3,000 members.
In May 1998 the church transitioned to the leadership of Presiding Bishop Chandler D. Owens serving officially as pastor and utilized Dr. Felton M. Smith, Jr. as interim pastor for a brief period. In October 1998 Elder Martin D. Johnson was appointed pastor of the church and served until November 2000. Under Elder Martin’s pastorate the church blossomed and was able to eliminate most of the old debt and revitalize the youth and young adult ministry. In November 2000 Bishop Chandler D. Owens again officially served as pastor utilizing Elder Charles E. Quillen as interim pastor for a period and Elder Rudolph Austin and Elder Michael Allred also helped lead the congregation until a full-time pastor was installed.
In March of 2002 Elder Arthur F. Mosley was appointed pastor of Cathedral of Faith Church of God in Christ. Under Pastor Mosley’s leadership the church has been renewed and revived returning to the foundation of prayer and sound biblical instruction. Under Pastor Mosley’s pastorate the church has completed a total renovation of the sanctuary and fellowship hall, strengthened the various ministries of the church, established a building fund and has sponsored missions teams to Europe, Africa and Asia. Cathedral of Faith continues to impact the local community by way of various food drives, back to school drives and community outreach programs.
Cathedral of Faith Church of God in Christ has and continues to serve as a beacon of light in the community and city drawing hundreds of men and women to Christ. With God’s favor we will continue to build upon the foundation and legacy left to us by the pioneers of this great church.
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Bishop Charles Harrison Mason – Founder of the Church of God in Christ
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Our Beginning – Jones Ave Church of God in Christ July 1940 to August 1972
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The Jones Ave Congregation
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2013 The Cathedral of Faith’s 73rd Anniversary… and still growing!!
Our Vision
The vision of the Cathedral of Faith is to be a global ministry proclaiming the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed that souls may experience the saving power of God through Jesus Christ.
Our Mission
It is our mission to create an environment where:
■ God is glorified through Spirit-led, refreshing and mind renewing worship services
■ The unadulterated Word of God is preached, taught, and life-changing
■ Souls are saved for the Kingdom
■ We minister to the whole person, mind, body and spirit
■ Ministry is done with excellence
■ Prayer is our lifestyle
■ People are empowered to walk a Spirit-led life in victory, holiness and sanctification
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Besides leading his local congregation and teaching, Dr. Mosley serves in several capacities for the Church of God in Christ:
Bishop – Barbados #1 West Indies Jurisdiction
Superintendent – Light of the World District Church
Administrative Assistant – North Central Georgia Jurisdiction
Chairperson – COGIC World Missions ME Convention
Pastor Arthur F. Mosley
Dr. Arthur F. Mosley is an international speaker and educator. He delivers a message of hope, inspiration, and unity. He is committed to the training and development of others in their quests to reach their full potential. Dr. Mosley is also a family man married to Evangelist Sheila M. Mosley, proud father of daughters Amber and Amanda and “Pop-Pop” to precious granddaughter, Maci Elaine.
His education includes a BA from California State University, Master of Divinity from C.H. Mason Theological Seminary, where he served as Interim Dean in Atlanta, GA and Doctor of Ministry from Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Dr. Mosley is Pastor of the Cathedral of Faith Church of God in Christ in Atlanta, GA and Adjunct Professor at Georgia Piedmont Technical College, where he teaches Humanities, World Religion, and Skills for College Success.
As his passion, Dr. Mosley travels the world conducting Pastors & Leaders Conferences, holding Training & Development Workshops, and providing staples to those in need. His work has touched several countries including Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Thailand, London, Malaysia, Indonesia, Solomon Islands, and Barbados.
In addition to his international presence, Dr. Mosley has served on several noteworthy local platforms. He served as Chaplain for the Fulton County Police Department and the Georgia State Senate, preached and taught in the GA Branch of the Federal Prison System and was the speaker on the African American perspective on Israel at a press conference hosted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
First Lady Sheila M. Mosley
Jeremiah 29:11 declared, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Known for her motherly and nurturing spirit, First Lady Mosley has served as the Regional Chairlady of the Southeast Region for the Youth Department of the Church of God In Christ, and was also featured in the 2006-07 edition of Who’s Who among Executive and Professional Women. In 2016, Lady Mosley was also named as one of the 100 most influential women by the Atlanta Business League.
Diligently working in the North Central Georgia Jurisdiction, Lady Mosley serves as the Administrative Facilitator to Supervisor Mary Tucker for the Women’s Department and as President of the Pastor’s Wives. As a conference host, Lady Mosley holds an annual Women of Purpose Conference and Retreat in which the lives of many women are profoundly transformed.
As First Lady of the Cathedral of Faith COGIC and the Barbados First West Indies Jurisdiction, Lady Mosley works closely with her husband, Bishop Arthur F. Mosley. She is also the mother of two beautiful daughters, Amber and Amanda as well as her son in love, Randall Richardson. Lady Mosley also is the proud grandmother of one granddaughter, Maci Elaine.
With a prophetic anointing, Lady Mosley holds no restraint when it comes to fulfilling God’s will. Songstress, counselor, prayer warrior, and a pillar of wisdom are who God has molded this vessel into and is now using for His glory. As a humble servant seeking no praise for herself, Lady Mosley strives to yield herself completely to the will of God!
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What We Believe
■ We believe the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible written Word of God.
■ We believe that there is One God, eternally existent in three Persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
■ We believe in the Blessed Hope, which is the rapture of the Church of God, which is in Christ at His return.
■ We believe that the only means of being cleansed from sin, is through repentance, faith in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ and being baptized in water.
■ We believe that regeneration by the Holy Ghost is absolutely essential for personal salvation.
■ We believe that the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross provides healing for the human body in answer to believing in prayer.
■ We believe that the baptism in the Holy Ghost, according to Acts 2:4, is given to believers who ask for it.
■ We believe in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling, the Christian is enabled to live a Holy and separated life in this present world, Amen.
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Annual Pastors & Leaders Conference
Held in Accra, Ghana in Partnership with Global Revival Ministries with Attendees from 7 African Countries
The Doctrines of the Church of God in Christ
THE BIBLE
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God and contains one harmonious and sufficiently complete system of doctrine. We believe in the full inspiration of the Word of God. We hold the Word of God to be the only authority in all matters and assert that no doctrine can be true or essential if it does not find a place in this Word.
THE FATHER
We believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Author and Creator of all things. The Old Testament reveals God in diverse manners, by manifesting his nature, character, and dominions. The Gospels in the New Testament give us knowledge of God the “Father” or “My Father”, showing the relationship of God to Jesus as Father, or representing Him as the Father in the Godhead, and Jesus himself that Son (St. John 15:8, 14:20). Jesus also gives God the distinction of “Fatherhood” to all believers when he explains God in the light of “Your Father in Heaven” (St. Matthew 6:8).
THE SON
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Second person in the Godhead of the Trinity or Triune Godhead. We believe that Jesus was and is eternal in his person and nature as the Son of God who was with God in the beginning of creation (St. John 1:1). We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin called Mary according to the scripture (St. Matthew 1:18), thus giving rise to our fundamental belief in the Virgin Birth and to all of the miraculous events surrounding the phenomenon (St. Matthew 1:18-25). We believe that Jesus Christ became the “suffering servant” to man; this suffering servant came seeking to redeem man from sin and to reconcile him back to God, his Father (Romans 5:10). We believe that Jesus Christ is standing now as mediator between God and man (I Timothy 2:5).
THE HOLY GHOST
We believe the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, proceeds from the Father and the Son, is of the same substance, equal to power and glory, and is together with the Father and the Son, to be believed in, obeyed, and worshipped. The Holy Ghost is a gift bestowed upon the believer for the purpose of equipping and empowering the believer, making him a more effective witness for service in the world. He teaches and guides one into all truth (John 16:13; Acts 1:8, 8:39).
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST
We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is an experience subsequent to conversion and sanctification and that tongue-speaking is the consequence of the baptism in the Holy Ghost with the manifestations of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; Acts 10:46, 19:1-6). We believe that we are not baptized with the Holy Ghost in order to be saved (Acts 19:1-6; John 3:5). When one receives a baptismal Holy Ghost experience, we believe one will speak with a tongue unknown to oneself according to the sovereign will of Christ. To be filled with the Spirit means to be Spirit controlled as expressed by Paul in Ephesians 5:18-19. Since the charismatic demonstrations were necessary to help the early church to be successful in implementing the command of Christ, we therefore, believe that a Holy Ghost experience is mandatory for all men today.
MAN
We believe that man was created holy by God, composed of body and soul. We believe that man, by nature, is sinful and unholy. Being born in sin, he needs to be born again, sanctified and cleansed from all sins by the blood of Jesus. We believe that man is saved by confessing and forsaking his sins, and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and that having become a child of God, by being born again and adopted into the family of God, he may, and should, claim the inheritance of the sons of God, namely the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
SIN
Sin, the Bible teaches, began in the angelic world (Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-20), and is transmitted into the blood of the human race through disobedience and deception motivated by unbelief (I Timothy 2:14). Adam’s sin, committed by eating of the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, carried with it permanent pollution or depraved human nature to all his descendants. This is called “original sin.” Sin can now be defined as a volitional transgression against God and a lack of conformity to the will of God. We, therefore, conclude that man by nature, is sinful and that he has fallen from a glorious and righteous state from which he was created, and has become unrighteous and unholy. Man, therefore, must be restored to his state of holiness from which he has fallen by being born again (St. John 3:7).
SALVATION
Salvation deals with the application of the work of redemption to the sinner with his restoration to divine favor and communion with God. This redemptive operation of the Holy Ghost upon sinners is brought about by repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ which brings conversion, faith, justification regeneration, sanctification, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Repentance is the work of God, which results in a change of mind in respect to man’s relationship to God. (St. Matthew 3:1-2, 4:17; Acts 20:21). Faith is a certain conviction wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, as to the truth of the Gospel and a heart trust in the promises of God in Christ (Romans 1:17, 3:28; St. Matthew 9:22; Acts 26:18). Conversion is that act of God whereby He causes the regenerated sinner, in his conscious life, to turn to Him in repentance and faith (II Kings 5:15;II Chronicles 33:12-13; St. Luke 19:8, 9; Acts 8:30). Regeneration is that act of God by which the principle of the new life is implanted in man, and the governing disposition of soul is made holy and the fist holy exercise of this new disposition is secured. Sanctification is that gracious and continuous operation of the Holy Ghost, by which He delivers the justified sinner from the pollution of sin, renews his whole nature in the image of God and enables him to perform good works (Romans 6:4;5:6; Colossians 2:12; 3:1).
ANGELS
The Bible uses the term “angel” (a heavenly body) clearly and primarily to denote messengers or ambassadors of God with such scripture references as Revelations 4:5, which indicates their duty in heaven to praise God (Psalm 103:20), to do God’s will (St. Matthew 18:10) and to behold his face. But since heaven must come down to earth, they also have a mission to earth. The Bible indicates that they accompanied God in the Creation, and also that they will accompany Christ in His return in Glory.
DEMONS
Demons denote unclean or evil spirits; they are sometimes called devils or demonic beings. They are evil spirits, belonging to the unseen or spiritual realm, embodied in human beings. The Old Testament refers to the prince of demons, sometimes called Satan (Adversary) or Devil, as having power and wisdom, taking the habitation of other forms such as the serpent (Genesis 3:1). The New Testament speaks of the Devil as Tempter (St. Matthew 4:3) and it goes on to tell the works of Satan, The Devil, and Demons as combating righteousness and good in any form, proving to be an adversary to the saints. Their chief power is exercised to destroy the mission of Jesus Christ. It can well be said that the Christian Church believes in Demons, Satan, and Devils. We believe in their power and purpose. We believe they can be subdued and conquered as in the commandment to the believer by Jesus. “In my name they shall cast out Satan and the work of the Devil and to resist him and then he will flee (WITHDRAW) from you.” (St. Mark 16:17).
THE CHURCH
The Church forms a spiritual unity of which Christ is the divine head. It is animated by one Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. It professes one faith, shares one hope, and serves one King,. It is the citadel of the truth and God’s agency for communicating to believers all spiritual blessings. The Church then is the object of our faith rather than of knowledge. The name of our Church, ” CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST ” is supported by I Thessalonians 2:14 and other passages in the Pauline Epistles. The word ” CHURCH ” or ” EKKLESIA ” was fist applied to the Christian society by Jesus Christ in St. Matthew 16:18, the occasion being that of his benediction of Peter at Caesarea Phillippi.
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
We believe in the second coming of Christ; that He shall come from heaven to earth, personally, bodily, visibly (Acts 1:11; Titus 2:11-13; St. Matthew 16:27; 24:30; 25:30; Luke 21:27; John 1:14, 17; Titus 2:11) and that the Church, the bride, will be caught up to meet Him in the air (I Thessalonians, 4:16-17). We admonish all who have this hope to purify themselves as He is pure.
DIVINE HEALING
The Church of God in Christ believes in and practices Divine Healing. It is a commandment of Jesus to the Apostles (St. Mark 16:18). Jesus affirms his teachings on healing by explaining to His disciples, who were to be Apostles, that healing the afflicted is by faith (St. Luke 9:40-41). Therefore, we believe that healing by faith in God has scriptural support and ordained authority. St. James’ writings in his epistle encourage Elders to pray for the sick, lay hands upon them and to anoint them with oil, and that prayers with faith shall heal the sick and the Lord shall raise them up. Healing is still practiced widely and frequently in the Church of God in Christ, and testimonies of healing in our Church testify to this fact.
MIRACLES
The Church of God in Christ believes that miracles occur to convince men that the Bible is God’s Word. A miracle can be defined as an extraordinary visible act of Divine power, wrought by the efficient agency of the will of God, which has as its final cause the vindication of the righteousness of God’s word. We believe that the works of God, which were performed during the beginnings of Christianity, do and will occur even today where God is preached, Faith in Christ is exercised, The Holy Ghost is active, and the Gospel is promulgated in the truth (Acts 5:15; 6:8; 9:40; Luke 4:36, 7:14-15; 5:5-6; St. Mark 14:15).
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The Ordinances of the Church
It is generally admitted that for an ordinance to be valid, it must have been instituted by Christ. When we speak of ordinances of the church, we are speaking of those instituted by Christ, in which by sensible signs the grace of God in Christ, and the benefits of the covenant of grace are represented, sealed, and applied to believers, and these in turn give expression to their faith and allegiance to God. The Church Of God In Christ recognizes three ordinances as having been instituted by Christ himself and therefore, binding upon the church practice.
A. THE LORD’S SUPPER (HOLY COMMUNION)
The Lord’s Supper symbolizes the Lord’s death and suffering for the benefit and in the place of His people. It also symbolizes the believer’s participation in the crucified Christ. It represents not only the death of Christ as the object of faith which unites the believers to Christ, but also the effect of this act as the giving of life, strength, and joy to the soul. The communicant by faith enters into a special spiritual union of his soul with the glorified Christ.
B. FEET WASHIING
Feet Washing is practiced and recognized as an ordinance in our Church because Christ, by His example, showed that humility characterized greatness in the Kingdom of God, and that service, rendered to others gave evidence that humility, motivated by love, exists. These services are held subsequent to the Lord’s Supper; however, its regularity is left to the discretion of the Pastor in charge.
C. WATER BAPTISM
We believe that Water Baptism is necessary as instructed by Christ in St. John 3:5, “UNLESS MAN BE BORN AGAIN OF WATER AND OF THE SPIRIT…”
However, we do not believe that water baptism alone is a means of salvation, but is an outward demonstration that one has already had a conversion experience and has accepted Christ as his personal Savior. As Pentecostals, we practice immersion in preference to “SPRINKLING” , because immersion corresponds more closely to the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord (Colossians 2:12). It also symbolizes regeneration and purification more than any other mode. Therefore, we practice immersion as our mode of Baptism. We believe that we should use the Baptismal Formula given us by Christ for all “…IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER , AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST…” (St. Matthew 28:19)
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Additional Resources